Reading Roundup Wrapup: July 2023

Pick of the month: Force and Motion by Jeffrey Lang. Bit of an odd choice, to be honest. Would I say that this Deep Space Nine novel was better than Gene Wolfe in some abstract philosophical sense? Probably not. But it was the book I read this month that I had the best time with. Just a solid wacky well-told Star Trek adventure. (That said, had I just read The Shadow of the Torturer, I probably would have liked it best, but The Claw of the Concilator pulled it down for me.)

All books read:

1. Chiller: A Scientific Suspense Novel by Gregory Benford
2. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Force and Motion by Jeffrey Lang
3. Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree
4. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Armageddon’s Arrow by Dayton Ward
5. Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky
6. Captain Salt in Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson, illustrated by John R. Neill
7. Shadow & Claw: the first half of The Book of the New Sun: The Shadow of the Torturer and The Claw of the Conciliator by Gene Wolfe
8. Even Though I Knew the End by C. L. Polk
9. Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor
10. Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo
11. Still Just a Geek: An Annotated Memoir by Wil Wheaton
12. Star Trek: Titan: Sight Unseen by James Swallow

I started my Hugo reading with Legends & Lattes, and #5 and 8-11 were also Hugo finalists. Still, I found time to slip some other books in too.

All books acquired:

1. John Dough and the Cherub: A Whimsical Wonder-Story in which is Described the Marvelous Creation of John Dough, the Gingerbread Man; his meeting with the Incubator Baby called Chick the Cherub: their Adventures in the Isle of Phreex, the Land of Mifkets, Pirate Island and Hiland and Loland by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by John R. Neill
2. Paradox in Oz by Edward Einhorn, illustrated by Eric Shanower
3. The Living House of Oz by Edward Einhorn, illustrated by Eric Shanower
4. Star Trek: Prey, Book 3: The Hall of Heroes by John Jackson Miller
5. American Science Fiction: Four Classic Novels 1953-1956: The Space Merchants / More Than Human / The Long Tomorrow / The Shrinking Man edited by Gary K. Wolfe
6. Birds of Prey: Huntress by Greg Rucka, Rick Burchett, et al.
7. Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree
8. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely
9. Monstress, Volume Seven: Devourer by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
10. Interfaces edited by Ursula K. Le Guin and Virginia Kidd
11. Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher
12. The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
13. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
14. The Privilege of the Happy Ending: small/medium/large stories by Kij Johnson
15. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

July is always a big month: #1-3 and 5-6 were birthday presents, while #7-9, 11-13, and 15 were all Hugo finalists. (I know there's the voter packet forthcoming, but some I like to buy myself in hard copy.) 

Currently reading:

• Black Panther Epic Collection: Panther’s Prey by Don McGregor, Sandy Plunkett, Gene Colan, Dwayne Turner, Denys Cowan, Don Hillsman II, et al.
• Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M. T. Anderson
  
• Sword & Citadel: the second half of The Book of the New Sun: The Sword of the Lictor and The Citadel of the Autarch by Gene Wolfe
• Bernice Summerfield: In Time edited by Xanna Eve Chown
• The Privilege of the Happy Ending: small/medium/large stories by Kij Johnson

Up next in my rotations:

1. Roderick Random by Tobias Smollett
2. Otherworld Barbara Vol. 2 by Moto Hagio
3. Adventures With the Wife in Space: Living with Doctor Who by Neil Perryman with Sue Perryman
4. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Long Mirage by David R. George III
   

Books remaining on "To be read" list: 666 (down 1)

Seven months with no increase!!